Half of these iPhones were the LTE-enabled iPhone 5, while the other half were older iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S models. iPhones were the dominant smartphones on Verizon, accounting for more than 60 percent of the 9.8 million smartphones Verizon activated in the quarter.

Analysts are predicting a less-than-stellar earnings report from Apple, but these numbers from Verizon bode well for iPhone sales in the quarter. Apple will announce its quarterly earnings on Wednesday, January 23 and will hold a conference call starting at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET.